WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a demonstration project of the “Excellence in Mental Health Act,” bipartisan legislation that was introduced by U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Debbie Stabenow (Mich.) in the Senate and by and U.S. Representatives Doris Matsui (Calif.) and Leonard Lance (N.J.) in the House. The amendment expands access to community mental health services and strengthens the quality of care provided for those living with mental illness.

A version of the Excellence in Mental Health Act was included as an amendment to the House’s so-called “doc-fix” (SGR) bill to establish pilot programs in eight states that will increase access to community mental health centers and improve the quality of care at those centers. The bill now heads for a final vote in the Senate, where a version of the bill was passed as an amendment in the Senate Finance Committee.

“The House took an important step forward by passing this bipartisan proposal, which Senator Stabenow and I have long championed in the Senate. Approximately one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder each year across America. We’ve got a model that works, and now is the time for the Senate to act,” said Blunt.